Hyper Light Breakerwill soon be greatly expanding the world of indie hitHyper Light Drifter, building significantly on its predecessor’s strong foundation. One of the countless waysHyper Light Breakerwill achieve this is by introducing a breadth of new characters and implementing a social dimension.
The upcoming Early Access release ofHyper Light Breakerwill be doing things differently compared toDrifter, switching up just about every aspect of Heart Machine’s breakout title. Notably, the game’s art style has been translated to 3D cel-shaded artwork reminiscent ofRisk of Rain 2. Heart Machine’s follow-up has also moved to a roguelike format in an equally ambitious shift, adopts open-world elements, and focuses more on social elements like co-op gameplay. Game Rant sat down with Heart Machine lead producer Michael Clark and narrative director Laura Michet to learn how these changes affect the world and a little more about one character in particular: Pherus Bit.
The Character Of Pherus Bit
As anticipation builds following theannouncement ofHyper Light Breaker, Game Rant asked the team about NPCs that fans should be looking forward to the most. Clark singled out Pherus Bit, stating:
“I think players are going to be very eager to learn everything they can about Pherus Bit.”
Michet concurred, adding, “I agree—Pherus Bit is my favorite character as well.” This provokes the question of who this character is and how they’ll turn out in-game, and there have already been a few hints. First namedropped as “Pherus Bit” inHyper Light Breaker’s Early Access trailer, they were originally shown off in a Heart MachineTumblrpost from 2023—where they instead went by the name “Protobreaker.” Though they were featured in an announcement trailer prior, this post is where Pherus Bit was first fleshed out.
Ultimately, Pherus is a character shrouded in mystery, but there are a few details out there about her. She’s a former breaker, has lived in the Overgrowth longer than anyone else, and seems to have a personal connection to the Crowns. She also serves as the mainquest-giver inHyper Light Breaker, now serving a desk role—seemingly retired from her Breaker days.
Pherus Bit And The Expanded Cast Changes The Context Of Hyper Light’s World
The originalHyper Light Drifterfocuses a lot on isolationism, and this is the lens through which the setting is viewed. However,Breakerwill focus on viewing the same world through a new perspective—one that Clark and Michet described as one that expands on the events that took place in the first game. Clark explicitly states that “Drifteris more solitary,Breakeris more social in its themes,” while Michet also mentions that “When we created the story forBreaker, we focused on the characters who are inBreaker.”
These statements concur with what was written aboutHyper Light Breakerand Pherus Bit in the Tumblr post well over a year ago. The post states that, during development, the team “discovered that a specific story was taking shape. And it needed to be told through a discrete cast of characters with their backstories, motivations, and personalities.” Therefore, Protobreaker (now Pherus Bit) was set up as a means to bridge the gap to a more concrete, fleshed-out cast.
